Ōetsu Nimaiya/Alternative Timeline
History Thousand-Year Blood War Arrival Following the attack by the Vandenreich, Nimaiya and his comrades make their entrance in front of the remaining Gotei 13. When Ben Tennyson denounces the Royal Guard as cowards who did not fight Aizen for fear of losing to him, Nimaiya's reaction is not seen. He later retreats to his personal quarters to greet Ben, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Renji Abarai when they arrive. Ordeal with Ichigo & Renji After arriving at his palace, Nimaiya theatrically greets the trio and leads them into his quarters, where he introduces them to the Asauchi. After explaining the true makings of a Zanpakuto, he places Ichigo and Renji in a dark chamber (with Ben going along voluntarily), and has them battle a horde of Asauchi for three straight days as a test to see if Ichigo and Renji are worthy of having their Zanpakuto repaired. Renji passes the test, but Nimaiya claims that Ichigo failed and refuses to give him another chance. Heartlessly telling the distraught Ichigo to leave and never return, Nimaiya thrusts him into a portal held by an Asauchi, but Ben turns into Snare-oh and pulls Ichigo back inside before the portal can close. After resuming his human form, an enraged Ben marches over to a stunned Nimaiya and slugs him, angrily demanding to know what he thinks he is doing. Nimaiya, having anticipated such a reaction from Ben, gets to his feet and reiterates that Ichigo does not belong in Soul Society, and Ben angrily demands to know why, to which Nimaiya responds that Ichigo is not a true Shinigami. Having been pushed to the limits of his patience, Ben declares that coming to the Royal Palace was a waste of time and prepares to leave, saying that he and Ichigo can find someone else to help them repair Zangetsu. Nimaiya arrogantly declares that no one else can, but is interrupted by Professor Paradox, who arrives with Azmuth and a recently manifested Kyoka Suigetsu in tow. After introducing himself, Paradox explains that, while he understands Nimaiya's motivations, he believes that it is time that someone "threw Ichigo a bone." Azmuth, having studied Kyoka Suigetsu, declares that he will help Ichigo if Nimaiya refuses to. Nimaiya protests against Azmuth's offer, and Ben demands to know what Nimaiya is hiding. Nimaiya claims that telling them would stunt Ichigo's growth, but Ben calls him a hypocrite, since Nimaiya is already stunting Ichigo's growth by refusing to help him. Nimaiya then cryptically states that Ichigo needs to go back to his roots, confusing Ben and Ichigo. Paradox then offers to make a wager with Nimaiya, in which he will reveal a small amount of information on Ichigo's lineage to him: if Ichigo's curiosity is piqued, then he will be taken back to Karakura, but if he wants his true powers unlocked first, then Nimaiya will help him. Nimaiya initially refuses, claiming that Ichigo should figure things out on his own with no outside help, but after Ben points out that there is nothing wrong with having help when someone needs it, he reluctantly agrees. Paradox then informs Ichigo that the latter's mother is a Quincy, much to Ben and Ichigo's shock. As Ichigo debates over what to do, Nimaiya tries to goad him into going back to Karakura, but then mocks him, earning him another punch in the face from Ben. The young hero then gives Ichigo a motivational speech, which impresses Nimaiya. Ichigo ultimately decides that he wants to get his powers unlocked first. Nimaiya is forced to honor the deal, though he tells them not to "come crying" to him if anything bad happens. He takes Ichigo further into his chamber and begins the process of unlocking Ichigo's true power, with Paradox keeping a close eye on Nimaiya to make sure he does not attempt foul play. As the process begins, Nimaiya admits to himself that he is impressed by Ben. Category:Character Subpages Category:Alternative Timeline Category:Heroes